An investigation has begun after four crew members died when a US military helicopter crashed in Norfolk on a training mission.

The Pave Hawk from RAF Lakenheath was taking part in a low-flying training exercise when it came down in a nature reserve in Cley-next-the-Sea around 7pm yesterday.

Emergency services have been working at the scene throughout the night with the help of military personnel and volunteers.

Tories may back minimum wage boost

Speculation is mounting the Tories could back a substantial rise in the minimum wage to combat criticism over stagnant living standards.

Analysis for Downing Street is said to suggest a 50p an hour increase could save the Government £1 billion, as people pay more tax and claim less benefits.

But there are likely to be concerns about putting more burden on businesses as the economy shows signs of revival.

More suicidal youths call helpline

Children's counselling service ChildLine has seen the number of contacts from suicidal young people surge by a third in a year, a report has revealed.

The 24-hour service, which allows children 18 or under get in touch by phone, online chat and e-mail, also reported a 87% rise in contacts about online bullying in 2012/13 compared to the previous year and a 41% increase in contacts about self-harm.

The report - called Can I Tell You Something? - also showed the service for the first time ever received more contacts via online channels (59%) than by telephone (41%).

21 people dead in US polar freeze

A deep freeze spread from the US midwest to the east and south, setting record low temperatures from Boston to Birmingham, and leaving 21 people dead.

The midwest and the east experienced temperatures colder than much of Antarctica.

All 50 states saw freezing temperatures at some point yesterday, including Hawaii, where it was -8C (18F) on top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano.

Sentences are ‘insult’ to victims

Ministers have been accused of insulting victims after it emerged that half of convicted sex attackers, violent criminals and burglars are avoiding prison sentences.

Thousands of serious criminals have walked free from court, including 107 paedophiles who abused children aged under 13 - 46% of the total.

Some 49% of those convicted of sexual assault in 2012 - 2,324 offenders - did not receive a custodial sentence.

Don’t stigmatise us, says Polish PM

David Cameron faces an awkward confrontation with his Polish counterpart today after complaining about immigrants from the country abusing the benefits system.

Donald Tusk is to demand the Prime Minister explain his comments when the two leaders speak on the telephone.

He has also reportedly warned that Poland will block any change to EU rules that could give immigrants less access to welfare than UK nationals.

Prostrate cancer monitoring mooted

Some men with prostate cancer should be offered "surveillance" rather than treatment, according to NHS guidance.

Doctors treating sufferers deemed to have "intermediate" or "low" risk prostate cancer should consider offering monitoring rather than radical surgery or radiotherapy, according to updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

Prostate cancer can be "slow growing" and many men will have cancer that will not cause them any harm in their lifetime, Nice said.

CES sees APP that can park a car

Drivers who struggle to reverse into tight parking spaces could soon find an answer to their problem in an app that can park a car.

An automatic parking assist system was unveiled by German electronics company Bosch at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

It allows a driver to get out of the car then guide it into the parking space by swiping a virtual image on their smartphone.

Voters ‘should show ID at poll’

All voters should be required to show proof of identity when they turn up at a polling station before they can cast their vote, the official UK elections watchdog has said.

The Electoral Commission has called for a further tightening of the rules in an attempt to stamp out ballot-rigging and restore trust in the electoral system.

At the same time, the commission has launched a study into concerns that some South Asian communities - notably those with roots in parts of Pakistan and Bangladesh - were particularly susceptible to electoral fraud.